Deborah Morse v. Joseph Frederick
551 U.S. 393 · Decided June 25, 2007 · Supreme Court of the United States
Record summary. This page is generated from the Supreme Court Database’s coded data about the case. It describes who decided what, not the Court’s reasoning. Read the opinion itself before relying on it. Not legal advice.
At a glance
Deborah Morse v. Joseph Frederick was decided on June 25, 2007 by a vote of 5–4. The Court reversed the lower court's decision and remanded the case. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the opinion of the Court. SCDB classifies its main issue as “Protest demonstrations” in the First Amendment area.
Read the opinion
Case details
- Citations
- 551 U.S. 393 · 127 S. Ct. 2618 · 168 L. Ed. 2d 290 · 2007 U.S. LEXIS 8514
- Docket number
- 06-278
- Decided
- June 25, 2007
- Argued
- March 19, 2007
- Court era
- Roberts Court
- Decision type
- Opinion of the Court (orally argued)
- Disposition
- Reversed and remanded
- Outcome for petitioner
- The petitioning party received a favorable disposition
- Vote
- 5–4
- Majority opinion
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- Opinion assigned by
- John G. Roberts Jr.
- How the case arrived
- Certiorari
- Issue (SCDB)
- Protest demonstrations
- Issue area
- First Amendment
- Legal provision
- First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Type of law
- Constitutional amendment
- Decision direction (SCDB)
- Conservative what this means
How the Justices voted
| Justice | Vote | Separate writing |
|---|---|---|
| Justice John Paul Stevens | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Antonin Scalia | Majority | |
| Justice Anthony M. Kennedy | Concurrence | |
| Justice David H. Souter | Dissent | |
| Justice Clarence Thomas | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Dissent | |
| Justice Stephen G. Breyer | Dissent | Wrote an opinion |
| Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. | Majority | Wrote an opinion |
| Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. | Concurrence | Wrote an opinion |
Full case caption
Deborah Morse, et al. v. Joseph Frederick
SCDB identifiers: case 2006-068, docket 2006-068-01.
Related decisions
Other cases on “Protest demonstrations”
- Albert Snyder v. Fred W. Phelps, Sr.
- Virginia v. Barry Elton BlackLaw held unconstitutional
- Wood v. Moss
- John J. Hurley and South Boston Allied War Veterans Council v. Irish-American GayLaw held unconstitutional
- Rav v. City of St. PaulLaw held unconstitutional
- Lindke v. Freed
Cases on the same legal provision: First Amendment (speech, press, and assembly)
- Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association v. Brentwood Academy
- Gary Davenport v. Washington Education Association
- United States v. Michael Williams
- Jeffrey A. Beard v. Ronald Banks
- Neil Randall v. William H. SorrellLaw held unconstitutional
- Gil Garcetti v. Richard Ceballos
Same Term, same area (First Amendment)
- Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association v. Brentwood Academy
- Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, Inc.Law held unconstitutional
Source: Supreme Court Database, 2026 Release 01 (data file dated September 8, 2026). Imported into CaseTrail November 5, 2026. Coverage: decisions from the 1946 through 2025 Terms. Methodology · Report an error